The Nine Li Courtyard was divided into four levels. The lowest level housed the servants’ quarters. Following the mountain path upwards was the Zhen Yan Hall where Ji Cheng handled affairs. Above that was her living quarters, the Wo Yun Residence. At the very top was Shen Che’s Top Courtyard.
Usually, outsiders would only go as far as the Zhen Yan Hall. However, Shen Cui, considering herself the Fifth Young Lady of the Shen family, went directly upstairs when she didn’t find the mistress in Zhen Yan Hall.
Ni Shang naturally tried to stop her, but Shen Cui, who used to have some semblance of a young lady’s demeanor at home, now acted like a shrew. Disregarding her status, she clashed with Ni Shang.
Fortunately, Liu Ye’er rushed down upon hearing the commotion. “Young Lady, what are you doing? Look at you, sweating in this heat. Please sit down and rest. I’ve already sent Yu Qian’er to find my mistress.”
“Where’s my Second Brother?” Shen Cui asked angrily, though no longer making a scene.
Liu Ye’er replied, “The Young Master left early this morning.”
“Send someone to find him and bring him back!” Shen Cui became hysterical again upon hearing this.
Ji Cheng had been saying goodbye to the Old Madam when Yu Qian’er came to report. Only then did she bid farewell to the Old Madam and return to Nine Li Courtyard.
As soon as Shen Cui saw Ji Cheng, she rushed towards her, “Sister Cheng, what have I done to offend you that you treat me this way?”
Ji Cheng was bewildered, “What’s wrong, Cui’er?”
Shen Cui couldn’t hold back and spilled everything. Ji Cheng learned that Qi Zheng had recently obtained the position of Five-Part Military Commander, but had now been reported and suspended pending punishment. The news he gathered suggested that someone from the Shen family was behind this, pointing directly at Shen Che.
“Sister Cheng, even if you resent that Elder Brother Qi didn’t choose you back then, so many years have passed. Can’t you let it go? Why instigate Second Brother to ruin Elder Brother Qi’s position? How can I hold my head up in the Qi family now? You only think of yourself, don’t you care about my feelings at all?” Shen Cui cried, tears streaming down her face.
Ji Cheng had thought Shen Cui had changed over the years, at least becoming more rational. Who knew it was only superficial, and inside she was still the same person who couldn’t distinguish right from wrong. Angered by Qi Zheng to the point of wanting to move back to her maiden home, she then came to blame them for standing up for her. With such behavior, it was no wonder that when she cried and complained the other day, apart from Ji Lan who showed a little pity, no one else responded.
Although Ji Cheng couldn’t care less about Shen Cui’s affairs, she couldn’t control that Shen Cui had a good second brother. Thinking of old grudges, Ji Cheng couldn’t help but curse Shen Che in her heart.
Ji Cheng coldly said, “I know nothing about this. Wait for your Second Brother to return and ask him yourself. Stop saying nonsense. You were improper before your marriage, yet you keep slandering me. Shen Cui, if you continue to talk nonsense, I won’t hesitate to make all your dirty secrets public.”
“You…” Shen Cui immediately cowered. She hadn’t expected the usually soft Ji Cheng to be so firm.
But when had Ji Cheng ever been soft? In the past, she only considered Shen Che, but now Ji Cheng has fewer concerns. This was perhaps one of the few benefits of marrying Shen Che.
As they were leaving for the Northwest today, Shen Cui was fortunate enough to not wait long before Shen Che returned. Facing Shen Che, she didn’t dare to be as righteous as she was with Ji Cheng earlier. With red-rimmed eyes, she said pitifully, “Second Brother.”
Shen Che sat down in a chair, flicked non-existent dust from his robe, and looked at Shen Cui, “I know what you want to say. But Qi Zheng has become corrupt. There have been reports against him in that position before. In the past, considering our family ties, we still spoke up for him. But now that his illegitimate eldest son is about to emerge, has he ever considered family ties?”
“But…” Shen Cui mumbled, “Elder Brother Qi will neglect me.”
Shen Che couldn’t be bothered with Shen Cui’s bedroom affairs. However, with a bit of shared blood, seeing her so foolish, he couldn’t help but advise, “He won’t. Let’s wait for Elder Brother to return victorious before discussing anything further.”
Shen Cui’s wishes weren’t fulfilled, and she was seething inside. But she didn’t dare to vent her anger at Shen Che. He was the tyrant of this family; who dared to raise their voice at him? She felt she should add some complaints about his marriage, lest it seem that only she was living in misery.
Shen Cui took a breath, wiped her tears, and said, “Second Brother, did you hear something that made you treat Elder Brother Qi this way? Elder Brother Qi has always been ambitious, he just can’t withstand others’ slander.”
Shen Cui secretly glanced at Shen Che, and seeing no reaction, continued to sow discord, “When Sister Cheng was staying at our home, she was very willing to associate with Elder Brother Qi and his siblings. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have jumped into the water to save Qi Hua, and later, of my mother-in-law’s illness, she was even willing to offer the treasure of Chang Chun Tang.”
Look, Shen Cui had indeed become smarter. There were no lies in these words. However, when Ji Cheng saved Qi Hua, she didn’t even know Qi Zheng existed. And although she gave the thousand-year ginseng to the Qi family at a discount, she still charged money for it. In the end, she didn’t give it for free, did she?
Shen Che looked into Shen Cui’s eyes and said only one sentence, “Cui’er, don’t come to Nine Li Courtyard again in the future.”
Shen Cui was stunned and aggrieved. But looking into Shen Che’s eyes, for some reason, her feet began to tremble. In the end, she fled in defeat.
From the capital heading north, before leaving the pass, there were wide roads that could accommodate four carriages side by side. So Ji Cheng could sit comfortably in a luxurious carriage, holding a cup of clear tea.
The tea was brewed by Shen Che and kept warm in a tea container. Although it lacked the fresh fragrance of newly brewed tea, it was still pleasant.
However, Shen Che’s words were somewhat annoying.
“So you fancied Qi Zheng back then? You weren’t picky,” Shen Che said with a mocking smile.
Ji Cheng had just taken a sip of water and was so angered by Shen Che’s words that she choked, coughing repeatedly until tears came to her eyes.
Shen Che moved over to sit beside Ji Cheng, raising his hand to pat her back gently, “Why are you in such a hurry? It’s understandable to be foolish when young and ignorant.”
Ji Cheng, her face flushed from choking, looked at Shen Che with watery eyes, truly pitiful.
Shen Che leaned down and captured her cherry-pink lips, biting them rather mercilessly, with a hint of venting his anger.
Ji Cheng reflexively opened her mouth to scold him, but Shen Che took advantage of this to invade her mouth, completely overwhelming her. Her tongue tip was curled by his, making her feel both numb and weak. Her body gradually softened from its initial rigidity, though her hands persisted in weakly pounding Shen Che’s chest.
Occasionally, there was a gap between their lips and tongues, but only because Shen Che pitied her inability to breathe. As soon as Ji Cheng gasped for air and was about to recover, Shen Che would lean down again.
However, it was just pure kissing. Shen Che didn’t make any excessive moves. When everything calmed down, Ji Cheng’s chest bindings had been completely undone by Shen Che, letting her treasures out to breathe.
Ji Cheng hurriedly pulled up her collar to cover herself, panting softly as she smoothed her hair with her hand. Meanwhile, Shen Che was wiping the fresh blood from his lips with his thumb.
Shen Che reached out to pinch Ji Cheng’s chin, forcing her to open her mouth slightly, “Your little tiger tooth is quite sharp.”
Ji Cheng slapped Shen Che’s hand away and took out her small mirror to look at her lips. They were swollen and shiny, with teeth marks still visible.
Shen Che leaned towards Ji Cheng again, frightening her into leaning back repeatedly. She pressed her hand against his chest and said, “Don’t come again.”
Shen Che chuckled softly, caressing Ji Cheng’s lips with his thumb, “Qi Zheng must have been blind to choose Shen Cui back then. Such a short-sighted person would be useless even if promoted.”
Ji Cheng pouted and said, “So you brought him down? What’s wrong with choosing Cui’er? Doesn’t she have you as a good brother to protect her everywhere?”
Shen Che lowered his head, pressing his nose tip against Ji Cheng’s, “I think I smell vinegar.” He clicked his tongue twice, “You’re drinking quite a lot of dry vinegar, even being jealous of Shen Cui.”
Ji Cheng remained silent, only turning her head away from Shen Che. She was indeed unhappy about Shen Cui’s matter in her heart. Perhaps it could be considered jealousy, envying Shen Che’s unconditional protection of Shen Cui. This had nothing to do with love, just some emotions when comparing her own experiences.
In the end, Ji Cheng couldn’t hold back her thoughts, “You help Cui’er like this, but she might not be grateful to you. Didn’t she just complain about you today?”
Shen Che’s fingers gently inserted into Ji Cheng’s already loosened hair bun, slowly combing through it, “I don’t need her gratitude, nor do I expect her to repay me. But as long as she’s a member of the Shen family, I won’t allow outsiders to bully her.”
“That’s not an outsider, but her husband,” Ji Cheng retorted.
Shen Che raised an eyebrow but remained silent.
Qi Zheng didn’t have Shen’s family blood in his veins, so he was naturally an outsider.
And Ji Cheng was an outsider too. Ji Cheng fell silent, feeling frustrated as she pushed away Shen Che’s hand.
Shen Che lowered his head and bit Ji Cheng’s earlobe, saying, “Although I won’t allow outsiders to bully her, I have no objection to family members teaching her a lesson.”
Ji Cheng had no time to teach Shen Cui a lesson, but she was still unhappy.
Shen Che was at a loss and could only bite Ji Cheng’s ear fiercely, saying, “Tao Tao, who am I doing this for? Don’t worry, just wait for Shen Cui to bow her head to you in the future. If she dares to be so arrogant again, I have ways to make you feel better.”
Ji Cheng was originally about to get angry because her ear was bitten, but Shen Che’s words somehow struck her soft spot. Well, Ji Cheng had to admit that she was childish, and the thought of making Shen Cui bow her head to her in the future was not bad.
The biting on her earlobe had turned into licking. Today, Shen Che was unusually passionate, and although the carriage was not convenient, Ji Cheng was a person who knew how to seize opportunities.
Moreover, now that their relationship was official, even if things got a bit wild, at most Shen Che would be blamed for being lustful in broad daylight. She would at worst be considered a reluctant participant.
So Ji Cheng steeled herself and took the initiative to embrace Shen Che, kissing his lips.
Shen Che naturally didn’t refuse this unexpected pleasure. He caught Ji Cheng and bit her fiercely for a good while. However, when Ji Cheng became as soft as a peach blossom petal, he pulled her collar to cover her impressive chest and then retreated.
Ji Cheng opened her misty eyes, still not quite understanding the situation. She only felt Shen Che’s hot breath enter her ear, followed by his voice, “I’m waiting for you to be willing from the bottom of your heart.”
Ji Cheng was furious inside, almost wanting to spew profanities. She raised the corner of her lips and said, “Am I not willing from the bottom of my heart?”
Shen Che tapped Ji Cheng’s nose and said, “Put away your little schemes. Thinking of having a son and then kicking me aside to become the old matriarch? Keep dreaming.”
Ji Cheng’s plans were completely exposed. She could only use an angry expression to cover her embarrassment. She turned her back to arrange her clothes, not bothering to pay attention to Shen Che.
But Shen Che was too shameless. As if he couldn’t see that Ji Cheng was angry, he leaned over and said, “Actually, I’m not that self-disciplined either.”
Ji Cheng’s hands, which were wrapping her chest bindings, paused as she heard Shen Che continue, “It’s just that you’re too inexperienced.”
Ji Cheng’s fingers had turned white from the force.
Shen Che, seemingly unaware of the danger, continued, “You’re smart, but you still need to work on the art of managing men. Here’s a book, learn from it.”
Shen Che pulled out a booklet from somewhere and stuffed it into Ji Cheng’s hand.
Ji Cheng flipped it open and saw that it was a picture book. Each page depicted a man and a woman, with expressions and actions in vivid detail. The exaggerated movements and bold postures were unprecedented.
And Shen Che used this spring palace picture book to tease her. Ji Cheng gritted her teeth and shouted, “Shen Che!” She was about to hit Shen Che with the booklet.
But Shen Che’s figure flashed, and he was already outside the carriage, sitting steadily on horseback, leaving only a string of laughter in the wind.